Getty Image / Matthew Stockman
During this NBA offseason, Chris Paul has been involved in two of the most notable trades in the league.
The first saw the Phoenix Suns send him to the Washington Wizards in a deal that got them Bradley Beal.
The Wizards didn’t hold onto him for long as they then traded him to the Golden State Warriors to land Jordan Poole.
The second trade was a particularly big surprise as Paul was somewhat of an interesting fit for the squad and because he had spent a long time as a rival for the Warriors.
It turns out that Paul wasn’t exactly expecting to ever be a Warrior either.
During an appearance on the “Sloane Knows” podcast, Chris Paul was asked if while he was playing for the Rockets or Clippers he’d have ever believed that he would end up playing for the Warriors.
Paul emphatically answered no.
Question: “If a time traveler told Clippers or Rockets you that you’d be on the Warriors, what do you think you would say?”
Chris Paul: “Hell nah. Ain’t no way. There is no way.”
CP3 on joining the Warriors 😅
(via Sloane Knows/YT)pic.twitter.com/5lcTbfmwXU
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) August 19, 2023
Over the course of his NBA career, the biggest knock on Chris Paul has been a lack of postseason success.
The Golden State Warriors can be blamed for some of that lack of success.
For a large chunk of Paul’s career, the Warriors’ dynasty has reigned over the Western Conference. They even eliminated Paul’s Rockets in what was arguably his best chance to compete for a ring.
The Rockets had a 3-2 series lead over the Warriors in the 2018 Western Conference Finals, but the Warriors won games 6 and 7 while Paul was unavailable to send the Rockets home.
The Warriors went on to sweep the Cavs in the Finals.
Chris Paul has played in a Finals series of his own since then as a member of the Phoenix Suns, but they came up short against the Bucks.
He’ll be hoping that the Warriors can help him finally get over the hump and claim a ring of his own.